Equal Means Equal: The Documentary

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By HTP Editorial

Many Americans assume that women have equal protection under the Constitution. They do not. The Equal Rights Amendment has yet to be ratified, with 14 states still not signed on. Equal Means Equal is a remarkable documentary film which makes a compelling case for the urgency of passing the amendment. Directed by Kamala Lopez, the film chronicles four generations of American women as they discuss what it means to be second class citizens in America today.

94% of all Americans believe that men and women are already equal.

80% believe those equal rights are already guaranteed by the Constitution.

Neither is true.

The filmmakers traveled across the country interviewing a wide range of women of different backgrounds–from Gloria Steinem and Patricia Arquette to legal professionals, gang girls and abuse victims–and the resulting mosaic is shocking. Being female is still an enormous disadvantage in America, with economic, social, legal and political ramifications that go far beyond wage disparity. Attitudes toward women and the resulting prejudice and inequality they face affect every aspect of their lives, intrinsically interconnecting issues such as poverty, domestic violence, childcare and maternity leave, incarceration, rape and harassment, healthcare and child sex trafficking.

Especially alarming is the fact that the anti-discrimination statutes and protections for women that do exist have been slowly eroded over the past few decades, largely through judicial interpretation, resulting in more women falling into poverty or economic insecurity. The film chronicles the decline and the policies that have contributed to it, definitively showing that only a constitutional amendment like the ERA can reverse this trend and protect women from the political whims of the moment and the corporate interests that are aligned with them.

When a culture devalues half of its population, the fallout cannot be overestimated. Mass incarceration, a sharp rise in homeless families, disturbing rates of sexual abuse and trafficking, coupled with a judicial system that seems loathe to respond effectively, all have horrific social reverberations. Equal Means Equal manages to show, quite convincingly, how the War on Women threatens the very social fabric that binds us to each other.

Equal Means Equal was released by Heroica Films, written by director Kamala Lopez and Gini Sikes, produced by Lopez, Joel Marshall and Gini Sikes, with music composed by Kathryn Bostic and Charles-Henri Avelange. It received the Best U.S. Documentary Audience Award at the Traverse City Film Festival in 2016.

The film will spearhead a national campaign to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the 14 remaining states that still need to sign on. These include: Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri,North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.

Hidden Tears Project

Hidden Tears is a media company that partners with non-profits across the country to raise consciousness through media on gender inequality, sexual abuse, and human trafficking, all of which are intrinsically connected.